Liberty Boro Bridge (Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad)

Last updated
P&LE Liberty Boro Bridge
Coordinates 40°19′30″N79°50′36″W / 40.325°N 79.8432°W / 40.325; -79.8432
Carries CSX Keystone Subdivision
Crosses Youghiogheny River
Locale Liberty, Pennsylvania and McKeesport, Pennsylvania
Characteristics
Design Girder bridge
History
Opened1968
Location
Liberty Boro Bridge (Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad)

The P&LE Liberty Boro Bridge is a girder bridge across the Youghiogheny River connecting the Pittsburgh industrial suburbs of Liberty and McKeesport, Pennsylvania. In 1968, the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad undertook a major construction project in conjunction with the B&O Railroad to clear tracks from downtown McKeesport. These tracks caused traffic congestion and posed a safety hazard. As a result, both this bridge and the nearby P&LE McKeesport Bridge were created to direct rail traffic to the west bank of the river, which featured a less confusing street grid.

While its sister structure is a truss bridge that crosses the river parallel to a highway bridge, the Liberty Boro Bridge appears relatively utilitarian and crosses the river at a nearly diagonal angle. The structure currently serves the Pittsburgh-to-Cumberland, Maryland CSX Keystone Subdivision.

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References

40°19′30″N79°50′36″W / 40.325005°N 79.843233°W / 40.325005; -79.843233